Sam arrived home on 09/24/2013

Elder Sam Spencer Arrives home Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Coming down the Escalator

Going in for the Mom Hug

Am I really here?



Dad, Sam and Mom

One handsome missionary!

Sam and a couple of Elders who flew on the same plane

Sam and his Dad's family

Hey little brother!

Mission Release Letter

So here it is.... It has come the end.... actually not really!!!  I still got a week haha.  I am gonna be busting my you know what this last week haha.  We are going to be looking for quite a few miracles.  A lot.  So this week that we have coming, we have my very last multizone as a missionary.  With The president.  So On Sunday at 7 I will be in the mission home for my last dinner with president I think, and also my last family home evening because, Monday I take off at 5 in the afternoon and then its 3 flights home..... wow....

 

So really, I dont have a lot to say other than that we had not just one but 2 baptisms this last week.  Remember the girl that got baptized on the 31st of August, her 2 little sisters got baptized Friday as well.  Sorry, you will all see the pic later.  I dont want to pull my camera out. 

 

So also, we had stake conference as well.  It was really sweet.  It was a transmission from Salt Lake City to different stakes in Peru.  A seventy, the 2nd counselor of the Relief Society and also Elders Bednar and Scott talked.  Lets just say they brought it home to about every member in Peru.  They talked about retaining youth, repentence, and respecting women.  Lets just say its a few things that Peru really needs.  

 

We have had a lot of fun me and my companion here.  We work so well together.  I love him and have really learned a ton from him.  He is an amazing missionary.  He has a lot of potential in his mission to see a lot of super crazy miracles.

 

Well there it is.  Pretty much the last letter all of you will receive from this email haha.  Love you all so much and dont be tooooo trunky this week waiting for me.  I wont be until Monday and Tuesday on the plane.

 

Con mucho amor,

 

ELDER Sam Spencer

September 9 2013

Alright so first off, Its my second to last time writing home...  A moment of silence please haha......  Ok actually that will be for next week.  So this last week we only had haha well a lot of success haha.  I love it.  My comp and I are working so hard right now haha.  We are definitely seeing a lot of blessings from a lot of really hard work.  I am sending the pic of the baptism from the 1st of this month.  Her two sisters that are in the picture are going to get baptized this week most probably.  It is really amazing to see so many wonderful blessings that come to us when we just put in a little extra effort.  That is all it takes.  I realized that with Elder Bramble.  If we want blessings, we obey.  But if we want to see more blessings and miracles, we obey and give it more than what you think is possible.  I am really amazed at just how fast blessings come.  We had 10 investigators at church.  Another super high number for church assistance haha.  I love how easy it really is to do this work when you give it your all.  

 

So my companion and I are getting along really well haha.  Its a lot of fun here with him.  He has helped me out so much.  He has helped me realize a lot of things that I will be able to apply in my life after the mission.  I am extremely grateful for him and for our mission president putting us together.  

 

So this is what I see these last 2 weeks going on, a lot of white :) haha.  We are planning for 2 baptisms this week and another one could happen as well.  We are also planning on another one for next week as well.  Goin out with a bang here haha.

 

Im not sure why I came back here but it could have been for me to realize the iniquity here in the leadership of our ward.  I cant say much and shouldnt but I have really realized that this ward has been in need of some changes that will happen really soon.  But its all good, we just keep working with the people we have and in the situation we are placed in.  I just remember Elder Hollands talk about how God has only had 1 perfect person to work with, Christ.  And all the rest arent perfect.  I love his words when he said "Except in the case of His only perfect Begotten Son, imperfect people are all God has ever had to work with. That must be terribly frustrating to Him, but He deals with it. So should we."We just need to remember that always when we have things going on with any leader or person.  

 

I love this work. And really I have learned so much about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  I know He lives.  I know that the Book of Mormon is true.  I have read it many times here in the mission (Oh ya, I finished The Book of Mormon again this last week, 6th time I think... I really dont remember).  Each time I have asked that it is true and of course,  I always receive the same confirmation.  I will just say to all of you, Invite you all, to read and reread the Book of Mormon.  I am going to always be reading it.  

 

Well, I have probably written enough right?  Haha.  I love you guys a lot.  Keep on waiting patiently and muy pronto nos veremos cara a cara en la casa de los abuelos hahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahhaahhahahahahahahahahahahaha

 

Love you all so much :)

 

Elder Spencer

September 02, 2013

Well.  I dont have a ton to write this week.  I forgot my camera on Saturday so I cant send you the pic of the well, baptism haha.  We had a crazy baptism this week.  We had a family go to church on Sunday.  The whole family.  They are 6 in their family.  Well, Tuesday night, we went to ask the 15 year old girl if she wanted to go to seminary.  She said yes and better was, she asked us when she could be baptized. We looked at each other, my comp and I, and he said, well tomorrow haha.  Then we just said Saturday.  She got herself prepared and really showed the desire to get baptized.  It was really awesome.  So she got baptized on Saturday.  It has really been amazing to see the progress made by her and really her whole family.  Her 2 little sisters want to get baptized as well.  We just need to help her parents get married and they will also get baptized.  Its been a miracle.  I have seen a lot of miracles here in this area these last 3 weeks.  I cant believe that 3 weeks have flown by. Its getting strange.  I keep receiving little letters from the office...  Wow...  I dont like them at all... haha.  Nah, so I really dont know what else to tell you guys.  Im working hard, um, Im staying busy haha.  This week we are planning on 2 baptisms. The girls 2 sisters.  We will see how all goes haha.

 

Well...  Sorry its short and sweet, but love you all a ton.

 

Elder Sam Spencer

August 26 2013

Wow... My travel plans.... came....  Weird...  thats weird....

 

Alright so this week was awesome. We had 12 investigators at church this week.  That was super crazy!  I couldnt believe it.  But it happened.  We had a family there.  They arent married, the parents, but they said to their family that they want to get married and baptized I think!!!!  Awesome!!!!!!  We will be working on that one this week and the next few.  Who knows, maybe we can get them married before I go haha.  That would be awesome.  So we also found a really sad situation.  We found a lady that had her oldest son bribed to go to Lima by his grandparents.  She hasnt seen her son for 4 years...  She doesnt have money to go as it is around 100 soles at least...  She also has 3 other kids, one of which was born deaf.  She has a lot of faith and she said that she was going to go to church but something happened and didnt get there...  We are going to be focusing on helping this sister out a lot in the next few days.

 

So Im not really sure what else to say.  Today it sounds like we are going to go and play soccer or volleyball with  the youth of our two wards.  Our district is kinda mad at us because they decided to plan last night to go and make pizza and watch a movie.  My comp and I told them no because we already have our plans.  Honestly Im not wanting to watch a movie.  I never watched one while I was here the first time, and I dont want to this time either.  But  I guess sometimes I should be ok with doing things that I dont want to.  

 

Well really there isnt much more that I can say.  My companion and I are good.  We are complete opposites in literally everything.  There arent many things that we do have in common other than well, the Gospel.  I am trying to make it all work and putting in an extra fuerza haha I feel that we are making it work.  It has been really fun here in my old area I will say that.  It is amazing to see the difference that a year can make.  I realized that our moment is small and we see the ward at one moment usually.  My return let me see the fruits of my labor here the last time and now I know that wherever I was, That the fruits keep on multiplying.  

 

Well I love you all so much and well... Lets just say see you all in less than a month...  

August 17 2013

Wow...  everything is so different.

 

So first off, I know that this change was definitely inspired.  It wasnt for me to come back to my area, it was for me to be with my companion, Elder Bramble.  I have never known a harder worker than him.  Maybe his work ethic with rub off on me, wait what am I kidding, it already has.  It made me change my mind completely about that first few days home.  But that isnt the things to be thinking about right now haha.  So we had a great week.  We just need to focus more on inviting people to baptism.  We invite, just not as much as we should.  So I will definitely focus on that one.  I love my companion.  He is awesome.  He is super focused on the work and helping these wards grow like they should.  We are helping some families to accept the gospel.  My area is actually 2 wards now and not just one.  Its just a bit bigger than last time haha.  But I will say one of the most amazing things for me to see are the converts here that I helped come unto Christ.  Cinthia, 7 months pregnant and still works harder than any other member in the ward, and Javier, Young mens President.  The Young mens program is now 6 boys instead of well, 1.  Rosa, she is one of the most reverent converted 16, almost 17, year olds I have met, and also Jorge.  He is awesome.  I had heard he was inactive.  That was a big lie.  He is the most active young man in the ward.  The only one we need to help is Pilar.  She is still working on sunday and cant go to church at 10.  I told her that she should still go to church, but at 8.  She needs to stop working and we will be trying to help her out with that as much as we can.  I cant describe the feelings that come everytime that I see them and hear their testimonies.  I almost cry.  All the time here with joy.  Its amazing.  Well, Im out of time.  Sorry that I wasnt able to give a lot of details but I had a lot of emails haha.  I love you guys and we will see each other soon.  Good luck this week, here goes another week of super hard work haha.  I love it!!!!!!!!!!

 

Elder Sam Spencer